A popular option on late model motor vehicles is the rear-view camera. Rear-view cameras provide drivers with a view of areas behind their vehicles that rear-view mirrors cannot provide. Highly useful when backing up and parking, rear-view cameras are also safety features that help prevent accidents.
While popular and useful, rear-view cameras suffer from major disadvantages that can become readily apparent to those who use them. It only takes a small amount of road grit, dust, salt, insects, snow, and the like to render them almost or totally useless. Such contamination can occur during or after inclement weather or while experiencing dirty conditions.
Rear-view camera contamination can force users to either forgo the enhanced visual aid that comes from their use or to stop their vehicles to remove the offending materials. Contamination can become a never-ending battle while driving under conditions in which dirt, salt, dust, sleet and snow are experienced. A rear-view camera can become excessively blocked in a remarkably short time.
In the prior art some manufacturers provided washer systems that clean rear-view cameras. While useful, such washer systems take time to operate, can smear camera views and in general are not instantly available when a clear rearward view is needed.
Accordingly, there exists a need to protect motor vehicle rear-view cameras from contaminants such that unobstructed views can be made available on a moment's notice. Preferably such unobstructed views would be provided in a manner suitable for being implemented at low cost and in configurations that can be rapidly installed and easy to use. Ideally, such unobstructed views would be provided without limiting the camera view and without impeding access to the rear of the motor vehicle.